In the media

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Our research is regularly cited in national and local news outlets; below is some of our recent press coverage.

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CityLab

US Housing Costs Surge, With No End In Sight

US cities are also seeing “absolutely wild increases in rents right now,” said Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, a research associate and author at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS), which just released a report on the country’s surging rental market.

Marketplace

Vacancies are down, demand is up, and rents are rising

A recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University found that there were nearly 900,000 more people renting in late 2021 than there were in early 2020. Meanwhile, the current vacancy rate is just under 6% — the lowest it’s been since the 1980s.

The Atlantic

When Will Be a Good Time to Buy a House?

One thing that could somewhat dampen price increases—as well as the bidding wars that have pleased homeowners and exasperated buyers—is a rise in interest rates, which is expected to happen this year. If that rise is sharp, “that will take away one of the fuels for this fire,” Chris Herbert, the managing director of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, told me.

The New York Times

How Are People Spending Their Home-Equity Loans?

Last week, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University reported that annual increases in spending on home remodeling rose from 4.7 percent in the first quarter of 2021 to 9.5 percent in the fourth quarter, and double-digit increases are projected into 2022.

Grist

Why renters are uniquely vulnerable to climate disasters

Climate change is on a collision course with the affordability crisis in U.S. housing — and renters are poised to fare the worst. That’s the conclusion of a new report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, which found that renters face the greatest risk from climate-related disasters striking their homes.